“This Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We” was fully released on September 15, 2023. This somber album takes after Mitski’s previous albums with many elements from pieces like “Bury Me At Makeout Creek” and “Laurel Hell”. 

In all honesty, I have been absolutely obsessed with the album ever since it came out. I haven’t listened to Mitski very often after finally beginning to branch out from sad music for the sake of my own mental health, but this album has dragged me back to that period of my life–minus the mental health aspect.

Surprisingly, this album has received much more love than “Laurel Hell” as it is more reminiscent of her older music, which most fans enjoy more. 

If I were to describe how the album makes me feel in simple words, it would be like a quiet walk home after buying groceries while the sun sets. It also feels like a watercolor painting that has yet to dry. 

This album highlights the delicateness of life and of one’s sense of self. 

The most popular track from the album paints this image perfectly. “My Love, Mine All Mine” is a wonderfully written and produced song that will continue to make my heart ache no matter how many times I replay it. 

For sappy romantics for life like me, “My Love, Mine All Mine” is a perfect rendition of the power and beauty of love in any form, platonic, romantic, familial, etc. 

The song describes how “love” has persisted through time and even when one may have nothing, they still can love others and love life.

Another song that is beautifully written and produced is “The Deal”, which gives me a similar feel to “My Love, Mine All Mine” with her softness and almost exasperation throughout the track. “The Deal” also includes a trademark of Mitski’s, where she builds up to a point that includes a “jumpscare”, or a part of the song where it suddenly becomes extremely loud. 

It is this trademark that has made me fall in love with her music, of which I highly recommend. 

Juxtaposed with “My Love, Mine All Mine”, “The Deal ” discusses feeling isolated yet wanting to feel loved with the only obstacle being one’s own self. 

The last song I want to discuss is “I’m Your Man”. All three of these songs show contrasting views about love. 

“I’m Your Man” uses iconic dog imagery that Mitski is known for using, like in “I Bet On Losing Dogs” and “Cop Car”, and at one point dogs are barking in the background of the track. 

Mitski compares “loving like a dog” to idolization–similar to how a dog is loyal–but she says that she “betrays like a man”. She values this person’s adoration, but she is human and it becomes impossible for her to be some “holy” being. She is empathic, as she feels bad that out of everyone in the world, she is who this person loves and she cannot live up to what they deserve. 

Her album shows very contrasting pictures of love and life that illustrate the nuance and complexity that comes with existing as a human. 

“This Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We” will continue to be on loop for me, and for those who got tickets for her tour,  I am totally not jealous and totally not praying for your downfall.